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Tim Fausch is publishing director of BNP Media’s Architecture, Engineering & Construction, Security and Mechanical Systems Groups, a collection of more than 20 trade magazines, Web sites and e-newsletters. Just don't ask him to use any actual tools. Email Tim at fauscht@bnpmedia.com.

Toothless Smiles

The construction market stinks. The stock market brings
constant pain. The financial bailouts grow more insane by the day.
Manufacturers are struggling. Nonprofits are laying off staff. Retailers are
filing for bankruptcy.

On top of all that, my roof is leaking, my car heater is
broken, and my 401k savings looks more like a 4k.

To all of this I want complain loudly and shout, “Bah
humbug.”

But I can’t.

You see, I just returned from Quito,
Ecuador, where I spent a
week with 71 others from North America and
hundreds of local residents. We were there to help throw Christmas parties for
some of the poorest people you’ll ever meet.

Many of these people were dirty and wore secondhand clothes.
Some didn’t smell so great. A few were drunk. Most suffer from low self-esteem
and struggled to look us in the eye. Almost all live in poverty 24/7. Sadly,
they are people who have no dreams. They don’t know how to dream.

Our biggest party took place in Quito’s Zambiza Dump. We cut off admittance
at 4,000 and turned away another 1,000 who were still lined up to enter. Many
remained outside the gates wishing to participate.

Over the next few hours we played carnival games, took
photos with Santa, painted nails and faces, and helped people do crafts. Local
volunteers performed music, dramas and dances.

The party ended a bit early because the attendees started
lining up prematurely to receive their lunch (apple, drink, cheese sandwich),
food staples (corn meal, flour, dried beans) and gift bags for the children.
Food was simply more important than entertainment.

In North America, we line
up for the release of video games, iPhones, or Harry Potter books. But in Quito, and in countless
places around the world, people line up to get a little food that might last a
few days if they are lucky.

As the people in the Zambiza Dump left to return to their
incredibly humble dwellings, many volunteers lined up to shake their hands, hug
them and wish them “Feliz Navidad.” Attendees beamed with appreciation and
hope. Some flashed toothless smiles.

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Tim Fausch is publishing director of BNP Media’s Architecture, Engineering & Construction, Security and Mechanical Systems Groups, a collection of more than 20 trade magazines, Web sites and e-newsletters. Just don't ask him to use any actual tools. Email Tim at fauscht@bnpmedia.com.

Engineered Systems magazine’s May 2020 issue examines the revitalization of air-cooled chillers in data center facilities, the viability (or lack thereof) of duct systems, the impact the coronavirus is having on the built environment, and much more.